Gerakan Rakyat Hentikan Pencemaran Bauksit (Geram) chairman Ali Akbar Othman told the daily he was disappointed by the authorities’ lack of action, following the deaths of three children on Feb 4 in a former bauxite mining pond in Taman Sungai Karang Jaya, Sungai Karang, near Kuantan.
Tengku Abdullah had taken a personal interest in the incident, going to meet the victims’ families after the drowning incident, and ordering authorities to have the pools filled.
Tengku Abdullah also asked the authorities to put up signboards to warn the public not to enter the sites.
However, Ali Akbar said nothing much had been done to close the pools or warn people of the dangers, even after a week.
“Over here in RTP Bukit Goh, there are at least two to three such ponds that have formed at the former bauxite mines.
“There are no fences or warning signs posted and no work has been carried out so far to close these pools. The ponds are still left exposed and easily accessible.
“It is as though the Regent’s order has been ignored,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
He called for the authorities to be proactive in seeking out and closing former mining sites to prevent further drowning incidents.
“We cannot simply blame parents and children when such an unfortunate tragedy occurs.
“The landowners and the authorities also have roles to play in ensuring that members of the public are safe from the hazards posed by these abandoned mines in our backyards,” Ali Akbar said, according to The Star.
He added that he would try to meet the authorities to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
On Feb 4, Salsabila Zuhairi, 12, fell into the pond and drowned while trying to retrieve the pants of her brother, Mohamad Aiman Hakimi, 10. Another brother, Mahathir Mohamad, 7, and a friend, Nureen Ain Juwita Mohd Sharif, 10, tried to help, but were swallowed by the “red water”.
The incident on Feb 4 was not the first. In October 2015, a 14-year-old boy, Nabil Ariff Shaari, drowned while swimming in a pool of a bauxite mine in Ladang Makmur, Bukit Goh.
The Star said Public Amenities and Environment Committee chairman Mohd Soffi Abdul Razak and Pahang Land and Mines Office director Nazri Abu Bakar could not be reached for comments yesterday.